The slaves are free

Well, we had gaming last night (because one of the characters important for the session was not going to be able to make it for Wednesday).

The GM pulled off a minor feat (which some of the players were desperately trying to derail) and got all of the characters back together. While this game doesn't qualify as the best game I have ever been in, it certainly isn't the worst and I am still having fun.

This game has been incredibly instructive in terms of GM styles and role playing habits. I find myself developing distinct, concrete pet peeves regarding how individuals play their characters.

For example: The paladin. He is lawful good. He is supposed to be a champion for order and good. He attacked two guards in last night's session. This was the middle of a town, broad daylight, without being provoked. The guards were not evil. They were simply hired swords to guard a lord's manor house. The paladin stabilized the two guards (one of which was knocked unconscious by his horse), but was censored by the GM was not feeling quite right about it.

When the player complained that his paladin was not wishy-washy, I knew I had another "I want to be just like the other fighters only with cool tricks" paladin on my hands. These players (I have met two) play their paladins as if their actions have no consequences and that lying, cheating, and disobeying the law (even if it is the law of a presumably non-good establishment) are OK if their ends are met.

I am starting to agree with DHelms that paladin should be a prestige class in most games.

The Cross-Stitching Fool

Rotation. Tires, belly buttons, you name it, I rotate it (or presumably would in the case of tires).

Rotation is how I get my new project goodness in and manage to get the old projects finished. Two years ago, when I was working at Cambridge Systematics, I used rotation to finish a piece for my dad and another for my mom over the course of the two months closest to Christmas (but gave my mom her piece for her birthday, knowing i couldn't actually finish it and frame it for Christmas), while working on at least one other large piece.

I always have too many pieces going (at least according to meranthi.

So, today I printed off enough rotation sheets for December 2002 through December 2003. I promise that I will finish at least three large projects and two small projects next year and start one new project a month (the happy task of which I get to work on tonight, deciding which projects I am going to work on).

So, let me make 2003 the Year of the Crossed Stitch!

Uh, yeah.